ST. LOUIS -- Surreal. That's how a south St. Louis man describes the moment he woke up in a South African hospital after being attacked by two chimpanzees.
Andrew Oberle made headlines around the world, and until now, he had never told his story in public before. But it is one of extraordinary strength, courage and healing.
The story begins in 2012 in South Africa when Andrew was 26-years-old. He was a graduate student at the University of Texas at San Antonio, working on his master's thesis. The report centered around tool use among chimpanzees and had taken him to the Jane Goodall Institute's chimpanzee sanctuary outside of Johannesburg.
In 2010 Andrew had spent a month volunteering at the sanctuary. Upon his return in 2012, his thesis work allowed him to bait an artificial termite mound, and observe and record chimp behavior.
"I'd leave the enclosure, and then they'd come out," recalled Andrew. "And you'd get to watch them make tools, or pick up sticks, or big things of grass, and kind of fashion them, and stick them into the termite mound and pull it out. It was amazing. It's so cool to watch."
Andrew fell in love with chimpanzees in second grade, the day his teacher brought a book on primatologist Jane Goodall to Epiphany of Our Lord Catholic School in South St. Louis.
"My mom told me I went home that day and told her I want to work with chimps," said Andrew.
What he never imagined is that living his dream studying the animals he loves would almost cost him his life.
Unspeakable ordeal
"It's something I'm not comfortable sharing with everybody," said Andrew about the accident involving the two chimpanzees. "I do talk about it with other people, my family and friends, but something I'm not comfortable sharing with everybody yet."
What he is comfortable sharing is the extraordinary story of his recovery, the sometimes painful, but amazingly upbeat months and years that have followed.
"I remember waking up in the hospital in South Africa, kind of opening my eyes," said Andrew, "and looking up, and seeing my dad just kind of leaning over the bed, kind of with big, wide eyes." He had major injuries to his face, arms and legs and needed hours of surgery to close his wounds. He was initially in critical condition, on a ventilator, and unable to talk.
"It was a very surreal situation, when I think back about it now, it's almost like a dream almost," said Andrew. "I feel incredibly lucky to be alive. I wasn't really aware of it until I was told, but I lost a lot of blood, I had a lot of infection going on, and it wasn't looking good for me."
There was lots of pain, and lots of time to think.
"I thought a lot about how lucky I am," said Andrew. "I'm in this hospital, it's a very insane situation. But the fact that I'm alive to think, that was a huge prize to me and it really carried me."
Doctors told this young, fit marathon runner he might never walk again.
"Once I could talk, and I was able to kind of express my feelings out loud, especially with my mom, I did have several instances where I felt pretty helpless and hopeless," said Andrew.
Some days, he didn't even want to get out of bed, because he was in so much pain. But then his mom started reading the thousands of cards that were coming in.
"She hung pictures on the wall, and also hung a picture of my dog up on the wall, which she's my baby, so that always inspired me too," said Andrew.
He met a hospital worker who sparked his desire to heal.
"We talked about, these things happen, and it's not why it happened, it's not who it happened to, but it's how that person moves on from that point," said Andrew. "When I really got into the physical therapy was when they told me, okay, we've got to get you sitting up on the edge of the bed so you can fly home."
He came home to Saint Louis University Hospital, and what would be 22 operations to regrow his nose, give him function in his hands and feet, and help him heal emotionally.
Then, in 2014, about a year-and-a-half after he almost lost his life in South Africa, Andrew walked back into the YMCA in south St. Louis. His goal was to continue to rehab, but deep down, he was determined to run again.
"When I first got out of my wheelchair, I could only walk 50 feet with a walker. Now I can run a few miles," said Andrew. "You know the doctors told me probably the shape I was in did keep me alive. So knowing that especially, I'm never going to waste another day in a gym."
Grateful describes the life he lives now, and what he's suffered at the hands of the animals he loves hasn't lessened his affection for them.
"I harbor no hard feelings against chimpanzees for what happened to me, and I hope to someday still be able to do my part to help save them," said Andrew.
He been overwhelmed by the friends and even strangers who've reached out to help him. From his mom, to the doctors and staff at Saint Louis University Hospital and his friends and classmates in San Antonio, look for a list of people Andrew wants to thank on his website and Facebook page.
In part two of this story, Andrew talks about his "miraculous" recovery-- it was one even his doctors couldn't have predicted.
